Sticks and Carrots
by Rei Kiri
Summary: Edward has something important to say, and he has to use some props to help him express himself


_**A/N:** HAPPY ROY/ED DAY! I wanted to write something for this day so badly but I had no time AT ALL but luckily I had this fanfiction that I wrote over a year ago and God knows why I never published it... but I think it's quite suitable for today so I'm very happy to finally post it!_

 _So there you go!_

 _Happy Roy/Ed day, everyone :)_

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 **Sticks and Carrots**

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The mahogany wooden door in front of Ed had never been so threatening. He had been standing there, staring at it for several minutes already, trying to decide whether he wanted to knock or not, and by now the little box he was holding in his hands was starting to get heavy. The shifts of weight inside it made him all too aware of what was inside it, and that made him think about his purpose here.

He didn't doubt what he wanted to do; he wanted to, and he'd spent some time thinking about it and its meanings. But now, when it was so near, he couldn't help the thoughts of doubt creeping into his mind. What if he was wrong? What if it was, after all, a bad idea? What if he wasn't ready? What if _he_ wasn't ready? He looked up at the door in front of him, his heart beat almost hearable, although the shuffling noises from the little box were louder.

He could say it was too late. He, _maybe_ , could take them back – although he was pretty sure they won't be accepted, for understandable reasons such as diseases and what not – but a refund he couldn't get for sure. Maybe he never should have gotten them in first place, it would've made things so much easier… maybe he could give them as a present. Maybe Al and Winry would like to get them, they will join the little zoo they already have, and little Eric would love them for sure. Yes, that's what he should do. He should turn and leave and just tell Alphonse he got them a present and just end it there –

The sudden opening of the door in front of him startled him. Before he could even react his eyes met the dark eyes of the man who was responsible for that. Something near panic rose in him, and he could feel the rush of blood in his cheeks. For a moment they only stared at each other, before the other man's expression changed, and the surprise turned into a soft smile.

"Hello, Ed," said Roy. His voice was calm, although the surprise that was obvious on his face. Ed couldn't blame him; after all, he didn't say anything about coming for a visit today. "I was just on my way to get rid of that," he raised a little the full bag in his hands, his smile turning apologetic, "but go ahead and get inside. There's food in the fridge, if you're hungry."

"Okay," Ed said, somewhat hesitant, and entered Roy's house. Usually, a declaration such as 'there's food' would get him excited; but right now the mere thought of food was enough to make him nauseous. He didn't even so much as glance at the kitchen's direction as he went towards the living room and sat on the sofa, placing the little box on his knees. The creatures inside were moving around, their little footsteps tickling his thighs. His eyes alternated between being fixed on the open door, waiting for Roy to come back and the little box on his knees.

It was just the beginning of the door's turn when the older man finally walked through, looking a little bit tired but still with a smile on his face. "Let me just wash my hands, alright?" he said, and all Ed could do was nod and look back down.

He never considered himself a coward, and yet here he was, sitting on Roy's couch and shaking like a leaf. He frowned, annoyed with himself. He'd thought this through a lot before he made his decision, calculating what he wanted, what he believed Roy wanted. There was no logical reason for the way he was feeling now, and, in his head, he knew that. He was more of a man of reason than of anything else; it was what got him through all these years, it was what, eventually, allowed him to obtain Alphonse's body back. In a way, even this decision was based on reason; there was no reason to –

"Why are you looking like that?"

Ed looked up sharply when he heard the older man's questioning voice and felt the couch sink a little at another person's weight. He blinked. "Like what?"

"So… tense. You didn't even look like that when you were about to tell me on that huge bridge collapsing, and boy, I had to squeeze that one out of you."

Ed forced a little uncomfortable smile. It was three years ago, but he still remembered that incident. He still maintained that it wasn't his fault, but somewhere deep inside he knew that the fact that the people of that town were disconnected from the world for weeks was entirely his fault. "I told you, that bridge would've collapsed even if I wasn't there."

"But you surely helped it a lot. Never mind. For what occasion do I deserve this treat? You said you wouldn't come until the weekend."

Ed tapped nervously on the lid of the little box. "I said I _might_ not come 'till the weekend."

"Which, in your case, means you won't," Roy smiled brightly, moving his hand to muffle Edward's hair. He frowned in return, and was about to reach and slap his hand away when he realized that if he'd do that, the box will fall, so he settled for a short, unpleased sound. Roy's smile broadened, and he leaned to land a kiss on his head. "So. What do you have there in that box that you won't let go of it? A present for me?"

Ed looked up at Roy's face, his eyes big and surprised. He didn't even notice how obviously he was holding on the box. Well, now that Roy was asking… well, it was now or never, and Ed had already made up his mind. He wasn't a coward. He forced his facial expression to stop looking so shocked, instead trying to look like his sassy self.

"Yeah," he said, forcing his voice to be even. He handed Roy the box, finally letting go of the lid. The little creatures inside used their newly obtained freedom and pushed against the loose lid with their noses, and by the time the little box made its way to Roy's hands it was already open, the lid halfway to the floor. Ed watched as Roy's expression changed at the sight of the two little white bunnies looking at him from inside the box, at first mere surprise but soon a smile stretched on his lips. A mirroring smile appeared on his face as well, a little bit weaker, when weak relief started spreading through his body. At least Roy didn't _hate_ them.

He watched as Roy held the box with one hand, and used the other to pet one of the bunnies' nose. "Any special reason for them or did you just decide I should have a pet?"

"I thought…" Ed started, but Roy reminded him why he chose to get the animals. He had a whole speech prepared, because he knew that if he'd just go unprepared he'd somehow manage to find a way to mess the whole thing up. "Do you… uh… do you know what they say about rabbits?"

The older man stopped petting the creature, looking up at Ed with a smirk on his face. "Of course I know, but if you want _that_ there's no need to bring me pets, unless you're trying to hint something –"

Ed's eyes went wide when he realized what Roy was saying. Not that he minded _that_ , but that wasn't what he was here for! "No – uh – not that thing. Why people always keep them in pairs."

Roy chuckled. "Still the same."

Ed rolled his eyes. The fact that he was a dating a total moron wasn't going to make him change his mind after he'd already decided."You're such a pervert... I meant the thing about… you know… the reason you can't just get one bunny. You have to get two or more."

Roy probably picked the change in Ed's tone, since his expression changed and he looked curiously at the younger man, his hand carelessly petting the bunny's head. "Why, then?"

"Because bunnies can die from loneliness. So you can't just get one because most likely it'd die."

Ed couldn't bring himself to look Roy in the eye as he was saying that; he was pretty sure his lover wouldn't get the message from just that; even though he wasn't as bad as Ed was at understanding hints, he still wasn't very bright when it came to things like that. From the corner of his eye he could see Roy's hand pausing for a moment from petting the animal's head before resuming it. All his courage threatened to leave him; that was a bad reaction, wasn't it?

"Really? I didn't know that," Roy said. He could feel his eyes on him. "I think it's actually really cute. They're much like people then, aren't they?"

Ed chuckled shortly. "Yeah, a little bit."

There was a moment of tensed silence between them, broken only by the sound of the two bunnies moving in their box. "So… are you trying to say something with that?" Roy's question was quiet, gently, gently pushing at Ed to say what he wanted.

"I…" Ed started, and glanced up at his partner. Roy's eyes were fixed on him, expecting and curious. He took a breath, and started again. "I was thinking, we, uh, we've been dating for like really long time, and, uh, Al's no longer living in Central and my apartment's contract is about to expire, so, uh... I just thought – "

"That you should move in here," Roy cut through the stream of confused words. Ed looked up sharply at him. Roy was looking at him with soft eyes and a smile. This wasn't going exactly as he pictured it, but… Roy didn't seem mad, or disgusted, or uncomfortable. It was a good sign, right?

"I… yeah," Ed replied, moving his eyes away again. He could feel his face burning with embarrassment. What if Roy says no now? What if he's only smiling because he thinks this is a ridiculous idea? What if he's actually _pitying_ him now? The thoughts raced in his head in a panicked pace. "I mean, it's really okay if you don't want to, it's not like I can't afford to renew my contract and I'm fine the way we are now and –"

Roy's lips suddenly placed on his made the stream of words coming from his mouth stop at once. He only let out a small sound of surprise before he closed his eyes and gave in to the kiss. He was unable but to lean a little towards Roy's body when he felt his hand resting on his jaw. He was almost ready to deepen it, but it was over as abruptly as is started. Roy moved away from him, leaving him confused. Was he kissing him to say yes, or was this supposed to be some kind of way to soften the blow when he turns him down?

Ed looked down, His fists clenched tight on his thighs. Why wasn't Roy saying something? _Anything_? He'd rather know than just sit there like an idiot. He could feel Roy's fingers moving lightly against his jaw and chin, gently requesting him to look up but he couldn't.

"You're an idiot."

Roy's simple sentence made Ed look up sharply, his eyes big and hurt. He really was an idiot. How could he think that this was a good idea, and now he made Roy stuck with a couple of bunnies he probably didn't even want. This was too soon. Roy had his status and public image and moving in with someone like Ed would completely ruin that. He was so pathetic even _Roy_ was making fun of him. He got ready to get off the couch. "I – I'm sorry – "

"Why on Earth wouldn't I want you to move in with me?" His partner's words made Ed sit again, his eyes fixed on Roy. _What_? "I've been wanting to ask you for months, I just thought you weren't ready and freak out on me."

All Ed could do was keep staring at the older man stupidly. Was he hearing what he thought he was hearing or was he imagining things now? "You… want this?"

Now it was Roy's turn to chuckle. "Of course I do. I'm really happy you asked this," he leaned in again, this time placing a kiss on the side of his eye. "When will your lease expire?"

Ed blinked. Not only Roy said yes, but he was also treating this like something so… natural, as if it was the most logical thing to do. This was even better than what he had in his wildest dreams about this moment. His heart was pounding fast inside his chest. "Next month," he managed to say, but his own voice sounded alien to him. Roy's smile broadened. Little by little the understanding that this was real, that Roy didn't turn him down, was sinking in his head. He couldn't help the happiness that built in him at that, almost smothering like a balloon expanding in his chest.

"That's too long. How about you just bring your stuff here this weekend? I can help you out with the car, if you want."

Ed blinked again. Until a moment ago he didn't believe Roy would want him around all the time; now he was asking him to come and live with him as soon as possible. This made him happy in a way he didn't even know was possible. It was almost as great as when he finally found the way to get Alphonse's body back; at least, close in the scale of things that could make him happy now, after he achieved _that_ goal. He smiled. "I'd love to," he managed, his voice a little shaky.

"Good," Roy said, and moved his hands. Now the one that was petting the bunny was holding on the box, and his other one reached for Ed, wrapped around his shoulders and pulling him closer. Feeling Roy's touch like this made Ed realize that not only this was reality, but also, that wasn't scared at all anymore. He knew this this was a good step for them. He knew that they'd fight more, that they'd probably annoy the hell out of each other almost every day; but he also knew that they were going to get over that, and that their relationship is going to get stronger and closer, and he wanted that, with all of his heart. He found himself relaxing in Roy's hold. They were wrapped in comfortable silence, at least until Roy chuckled again.

Ed looked at him. "What?" he asked, looking at Roy curiously.

"We're really becoming a little family," Roy replied, looking down at Ed with a big smile. "You even got us pets to raise together. I like that."

Ed let out a short laugh. "Yeah, right? Well at least we don't need to do much with them." He paused. "I'm glad you like them."

"Of course I would. They're fluffy. And they're a present from you. You know better than me how rare that is."

"Shut up," Ed said, but the laugh in his voice took the sting out of the words. Roy laughed back, pulling him a little closer again. He moved the hand that was around Ed to his chin, using it to make him look at him as he was placing another, short, kiss on his lips.

"I really appreciate it, though. We should go and get them a cage though, we can't have them hopping freely around the house."

Ed thought for a moment. "Yeah, you're right. We don't want them to start pooping all over the floor."

Roy lowered his head, moving his hand from holding Ed's chin to covering his eyes. "You really know how to ruin the mood, don't you?"

Ed looked at him sheepishly. "What? It's true!"

"I know, but do you really think _now_ is the time to talk about animals pooping?"

"Well, yeah. Look," Ed pointed. While they were talking and weren't paying attention the bunnies jumped out of the box and started walking around, and there were already animal droppings on the floor.

He could see the look of horror on Roy's face as he noticed it. "We're going to the pet store _now_. Get up and get them back in the box, will you?"

Ed couldn't help a short laugh as Roy was moving away from him, already hurrying to the kitchen to get a swipe. "You're such a clean freak," he joked, but got up from the sofa. He picked up the two bunnies (which was a harder task than he thought at first, they were _fast_!) and waited for Roy to be done with his cleaning routing. He thoughtlessly pet the bunnies, now back in their box, and smiled. He was really looking forward to live with this crazy old man of his.

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 _ **A/N:** As always, any kind of feedback will be appreciated! Whether it's favs or reviews I welcome all :) Though I will be extra happy to read what you have to think so don't be shy on that review box :)_

 _Love you all!_


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